Cheesy Celery Gratin features celery as a star ingredient and pairs well with any number of things, like grilled steak or roast chicken. If you’ve never tried it, you might be surprised at how celery takes on a subtly sweet flavor once cooked! This dish is naturally gluten free, low carb, and keto.
Celery, that humble veggie always seems take the backseat in soups and stews. And it’s often thought of as nothing more than a vehicle for serving peanut butter or cream cheese! Surprisingly, celery is the star of this dish.
Let’s be real; of course the butter and a generous amount of cheese in this gratin doesn’t hurt either.
But if you’ve never made a dish where celery was a focus and not an afterthought, you’re in for a surprise.
When celery is cooked, it takes on a slight sweetness that can almost go undetected when overshadowed by more exciting things like meat and carrots in a stew. However, when celery is a focus ingredient, you actually get to appreciate its flavor nuances.
And bonus, celery is not stringy at all when cooked!
The Best Celery Gratin Recipe
I find that after cooking, celery takes on a hint of sweetness as well as nuttiness. Try it for yourself to see what you think.
As far as cheese goes for this recipe, cream cheese lends a rich, creamy texture to this dish.
For the shredded cheese, I recommend a combination of Cheddar and Swiss (Emmental is great here, and I think Gruyere would be too!). This is because I like the way Cheddar melts and I find that the subtle nuttiness of Swiss is a nice complement to the celery’s flavor. However, feel free to switch it up for your favorite cheeses.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter
- Bunch celery
- Onion
- Garlic
- Vegetable or chicken stock
- Cream cheese
- Black pepper
- Fresh minced parsley
- Cheddar or Swiss cheese (or a combination of both)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: A Quick Cook on the Stovetop:
Preheat the oven to 425F.
Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and once melted, add the celery and onion and cook until softened, but not browned, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
Add the stock and bring up to a boil. Whisk in the cream cheese until smooth and then stir in the black pepper and parsley.
Step 2: Bake Briefly:
Transfer the celery mixture to a 1.5-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.
Bake until the casserole is bubbling, about 10 to 15 minutes, and then broil it a couple minutes to brown the top if desired.
Serve.
Storage
Store leftovers wrapped in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can reheat Celery Gratin in the microwave or in the oven (covered at 375F until warm, about 10 minutes).
More Dishes Where Celery is the Star
- Cream of Celery Soup {Gluten-Free} from An Edible Mosaic
- Quick Pickled Celery from A Farmgirl’s Dabbles
- Sautéed Celery and Shrimp from White on Rice Couple
- Spicy Blue Cheese Celery Slaw from An Edible Mosaic
- Celery Salad with Dates, Almonds, and Parmesan from Cookie + Kate
What to Serve with Celery Gratin
- Grilled Ribeye Steak Dinner
- Baked Chicken Tenders
- Tender and Juicy Beef Brisket
- Add this side dish to your Thanksgiving spread! It’s a great gluten free, low carb, and keto option for people.
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xoxo, Faith
Cheesy Celery Gratin Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 bunch celery sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices (you can include the leaves; this is about 10 ribs of celery)
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 large clove garlic crushed
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock for richer flavor
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
- 3 ounces shredded sharp white cheddar or Swiss cheese (or a combination of both, which is my preference)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and once melted, add the celery and onion and cook until softened, but not browned, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
- Add the stock and bring up to a boil. Whisk in the cream cheese until smooth and then stir in the black pepper and parsley.
- Transfer the celery mixture to a 1.5-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.
- Bake until the casserole is bubbling, about 10 to 15 minutes, and then broil it a couple minutes to brown the top if desired.
- Serve.
Faith’s Tips
- Net Carbs: 5g per serving
- Storage and Reheating: Store leftovers wrapped in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can reheat Celery Gratin in the microwave or in the oven (covered at 375F until warm, about 10 minutes).
Nutrition
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on March 5, 2018. I updated it with more information on November 20, 2022.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
I’m interested in making this recipe. It has quite an amount of fat (I’m older) and I’m pondering a substitute for the cream cheese. Or…..I could just treat myself and not be concerned about the fat content. Thanks for the recipe.
Nora, You could try it with fat free cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese. Or you could replace half of the cream cheese with Greek yogurt. Or like you said, treat yourself. I hope you enjoy it! :)
I had leftover celery, cream cheese and chicken broth to use up so this recipe was perfect. I can’t say enough good things about it, seriously it was so easy and tasty. A new way for me to enjoy celery. It reminded me somewhat of macaroni and cheese which is always a good thing. Total comfort food. Thank you so very much for such an amazing recipe!